Duke -
That is correct. The Changelings are Triumph cores with left over coverstock from other ball runs. This should probably be its own subject, but at least with the Changelings and X-outs from Ebonite/Hammer you know what core you are getting - the colors and maybe the weights are a little out of spec. With the Bonanza's, you have no idea what core is inside. The ball might be Bonanza because the colors are off, the pins too short, top weight too heavy, or whatever.
Like others have suggested, my ball #3 could be a Track Rule or an AMF Titan blem - those balls have very different cores. Ball #2 could be Big Bully or maybe a Crunch Time - again, very different cores. You would think (at least I would) that Columbia/AMF/Track would have some sort of coding to know which core is inside - Ebonite does with their X-outs. Maybe the companies differ in their quality control process. Maybe Ebonite makes, engraves, and then weighs and inspects colors last, thereby making it easy to know that the ball is a v2 sweet, but the blue is off or there is too much pink, or whatever. Maybe Columbia/AMF/Track inspect the colors before they engrave the balls and then just pull them and put them in one central location to be weighed and engraved at a later time.
I'm not complaining about either process. I think that's the fun of getting these balls. I could drill them up and they could be the best ball I've ever thrown, or they could be the worst. Either way I'm out only a little bit of money. IMO that's better than dropping $200+ on a ball and not being happy with it and then trying to sell it here for $40.
I guess I'm more intrigued by what the process is for the companies. Either way it gives people a chance to get the product in their hands for a little bit of money. Unless of course my Ball #1 really is just a White Dot, then I overpaid just a little!
